Setting up an "isolated" subnet
I work at a university in a laboratory where our network is really dependant upon the universities network being up. One particular laboratory that we have has instruments that connect to a "box" that translates the instruments RS-232 signals to TCP/IP. That "box" has an ethernet cable that connect to a dataport which is behind a firewall. The firewall router is "managed" by our university IT at another location. We then have a Dell PowerEdge 2900 server in the lab that runs software to control the instruments through the "box".
We don't want these instruments to be dependant upon the university network being up...we had an experience where our firewall routers power was "accidentally" turned off and all our PC's in the lab began losing network access. What we would like to do is go directly from the "box" into the PowerEdge server without begin dependant upon the university's firewall router.
Seems like I should be able to connect our "box" directly into a router in the lab but I'm not so sure I know how to accomplish this. Can someone offer advice or point me to documentation on how best to set this up?
We don't want these instruments to be dependant upon the university network being up...we had an experience where our firewall routers power was "accidentally" turned off and all our PC's in the lab began losing network access. What we would like to do is go directly from the "box" into the PowerEdge server without begin dependant upon the university's firewall router.
Seems like I should be able to connect our "box" directly into a router in the lab but I'm not so sure I know how to accomplish this. Can someone offer advice or point me to documentation on how best to set this up?
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I currently do not have a switch or router but we will be willing to purchase one...any recommendations on what to buy?
The "box" is a custom built device that includes 8 moxa devices (each connects to one instrument we are controlling)...these 8 devices connect into one "gateway" box that ends in a single ethernet cable that is currently connected to a university network dataport.
I'd basically like to come out of the "gateway" box with the ethernet cable and go into something (router?) that allows me to then directly go into the back of my PowerEdge 2900 server.
jonmckinlay, I think you have the idea of what I'm trying to do...essentially I want to be completely isolated from the university's network but still be able to use the TCP/IP required to communicate with my lab instruments via TCP/IP
The "box" is a custom built device that includes 8 moxa devices (each connects to one instrument we are controlling)...these 8 devices connect into one "gateway" box that ends in a single ethernet cable that is currently connected to a university network dataport.
I'd basically like to come out of the "gateway" box with the ethernet cable and go into something (router?) that allows me to then directly go into the back of my PowerEdge 2900 server.
jonmckinlay, I think you have the idea of what I'm trying to do...essentially I want to be completely isolated from the university's network but still be able to use the TCP/IP required to communicate with my lab instruments via TCP/IP
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It may simply be enough to disconnect it, after powering down, and connecting it to your router/ switch.
You need documentation on the Box .
I hope this helps !